Britain and Ireland's Top 100 Racehorses of All Time author Robin Oakley takes us on a canter through the colourful world of horseracing.Join him as he shares evocative personal stories of being there at racing legends' key moments, such as Frankie Dettori riding seven winners in a day at Ascot. He debates whether jockeys are sportsmen or masochists – jump jockeys can expect a fall on average every 13 rides – and reminisces about unusual achievements, including trainer Sirrell Griff...

Kauto Star, Nijinsky, Arkle, Desert Orchid, Frankel, Red Rum … how do you rank the best British and Irish horses from both Flat racing and jumping? How do you compare a fleet-footed sprinter with the robust staying power of a steeplechaser?Robin Oakley's highly personal list will provoke debate among racing fans everywhere. A lifelong devotee of racing and well known as the Turf correspondent for the Spectator, former BBC Political Editor Robin Oakley has made his selection not just...

Robin Oakley brings alive the colourful world of those who ride and train jumping horses.With elegant production and gripping images, Sixty Years of Jump Racing chronicles the social and economic changes which have brought the sport's ups and downs-like the development of sponsorships and syndicate ownership, the near loss of the Grand National, the growing domination of the Cheltenham Festival and the growth of all-weather racing to meet the bookies' dema...

The Cheltenham Festival is nowadays the biggest event in the racing year – in visitor numbers eclipsing Royal Ascot, the Grand National or the Derby. In 2011 it is a hundred years since the 1911 running of the National Hunt Chase marked the birth of the Festival, providing the perfect occasion for Robin Oakley's new history. This is a work of both history and celebration – telling the story of how three days of jump racing beneath Cleeve Hill in Cheltenham became a vast sporting event ...

The finest collection of writing about horse racing includes short stories, verse and anecdotes from some of Australia's best-loved writers.Did you know that Jorrocks raced till the grand old age of 19? Or that Melbourne Cup - winner Grand Flaneur never lost a race? Or that Sunline was the top stakes-winning mare in the world in her day?The Best Australian Racing Stories is chock-a-block with the victories and tragedies of these amazing champions a...

So You Think's incredible journey.As a youngster, So You Think caught the eye of Australia’s legendary trainer Bart Cummings. He liked the future he saw in his gangly frame, and soon, So You Think captivated Australasia with his rockstar good looks, his brilliance and strength.As a three-year-old, and at just his fifth race start, he led all the way to win the prestigious W.S. Cox Plate. A year later, he became the only horse to win the race as a three- and...

Irresistible to the punters, champion jockey Frankie Dettori is a charismatic personality with an easy charm and immaculate dress sense that make him an instant favourite on the track and a household name off it. His autobiography has been fully updated to include Frankie’s record-breaking racing exploits in 2004.In his own words, Frankie Dettori charts his rise from stable lad to champion jockey, revealing the endless hours of hard work, the fun along the way, and his determinatio...

Nestled in a quiet part of County Tipperary, Coolmore Stud casts as long a shadow as any sporting entity over the history of Irish sport. Founded by the legendary horse trainer Vincent O'Brien, and now managed by John Magnier, Coolmore Stud has grown from a small breeding farm into a global behemoth, renowned the world over for the quality of the horses it produces. Alan Conway tells the story of how Coolmore Stud and its training operation at Ballydoyle have come to dominate the world of ...

Autobiography of champion jockey and much-loved sports personality Ruby Walsh.A much-loved sports personality throughout Ireland and Great Britain, Ruby has had a career of outstanding success, which includes having won all four of the home Grand Nationals. This new edition brings his story right up-to-date to include all of the races over the busy Christmas period as well as last year's astonishing triumph against the odds. With many doubting that he could be race...

HIGHLIGHTS OF A CAREER IN CRICKET FROM BRITAIN'S BEST-LOVED UMPIRE, THE LATE DICKIE BIRD.'You know what you will get with Mr Bird, and he delivers it with unabashed aplomb in this amiable book' - Country LifeHardly a week went by without Dickie Bird visiting a county or Test match arena where he could keep up to date with all that was happening in the cricket world, while at the same time taking the opportunity to reflect, in the company of old f...

In this anecdotal book, the unstoppable Dickie Bird takes one County Cricket Club at a time and revisits each with the aid of memorabilia, statistics, books and videos. A mass of new hilarious stories flow from Dickie as he flexes his memory: he describes the cricketers, the matches and the character of these clubs. Dickie also relives his journeys as a umpire to clubs and Test match arenas overseas and recalls the humorous times that have filled his unique career. A must have for cricket ...

Fully updated with a new chapter on A.P.'s knighthood, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement award and his new role as a TV punditWhen Tony 'A.P.' McCoy announced his retirement from racing, the shockwaves reverberated across the world of sport. With more than 4,300 winners to his name, McCoy seemed to be at the peak of his powers when he suddenly brought down the curtain on an extraordinary career.But then A.P. McCoy has always done t...